Moviefone Editorial

Tag: cars-3

  • What’s New on TV, Netflix, Digital & DVD/Blu-ray This Week: January 29-February 4

    At a loss for what to watch this week? From new TV, we’ve got you covered.

    New on Netflix

    This Thursday marks the start of a new month, and you know what that means: A bunch of new titles will be added to Netflix as of February 1, and several more will be leaving.

    Here are just a few of the many new options this week:

    “Altered Carbon” (Netflix Original)
    The biggest release of the week is this Netflix Original sci-fi TV series starring Joel Kinnaman and James Purefoy. Season 1’s 10 episodes premiere this Friday, Feb. 2.

    “In the distant future, human consciousness can be digitized and downloaded into different bodies. Brought back to life after 250 years by Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy), the richest man on Earth, ex-Envoy soldier Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman /Will Yun Lee) must solve Bancroft’s attempted murder for the chance to live again in a world he doesn’t recognize.”

    Check out the trailer:“Retribution” Season 1 (Netflix Original)
    You don’t have to wait until February starts for some good streaming options this week. On January 30, aka Tuesday, you can check out the first season of this original series: “A dark web of secrets and lies emerges when a newlywed couple is killed and detectives question their feuding families.” Georgina Campbell (Amy on the “Black Mirror” episode “Hang the DJ”), Laura Fraser (Lydia on “Breaking Bad”), Joe Dempsie (Gendry on “Game of Thrones”), Adrian Edmondson, and Steve Evets star.

    “Disney·Pixar Cars 3”
    Also, on the very last day of January, the third “Cars” movie will race onto Netflix.

    New Video on Demand, Rental Streaming, and Digital

    “Absentia” Season 1 (Amazon)Long time no see, Stana Katic! Our “Castle” heroine returns in this Amazon Prime Original Series, which premieres February 2 on Prime. Stana plays FBI agent Emily Byrne, who disappears without a trace while hunting one of Boston’s most notorious serial killers. She’s declared dead, but — not so fast! Six years later, she’s found in a cabin in the woods, barely alive, with no memory of the years she was missing. She returns home to discover her husband has remarried, with her son is being raised by another woman. And she finds out she’s implicated in a new series of murders. Almost better to have stayed dead?

    “Blueprint”
    “Blueprint” — on EST and VOD Tuesday, Feb. 6 (see new later date) — follows a young black man searching for his identity in the aftermath of a fatal shooting in South Side, Chicago. Inspired by a true story, this timely drama tackles racial injustice and what it takes to overcome grief under difficult circumstances.

    Check out this exclusive clip from the movie:“Girlfriends” (Acorn TV)
    Starting Monday, Jan. 29 (today), Acorn TV is premiering this six-part addictive British drama series, starring Miranda Richardson, Phyllis Logan, Zoe Wanamaker, Anthony Head, and Matthew Lewis (aka Neville of Harry Potter fame). “Three women of a certain age are juggling the challenges of modern life when a tragedy exposes secrets that put their friendship to the test.”

    “The Music of Silence: The Unforgettable True Story of Andrea Bocelli”
    This drama — opening in select theaters and on VOD and Digital HD on February 2 — is based on the true story of Andrea Bocelli, a blind boy who against all odds becomes one of the most world renowned opera singers in the world. Toby Sebastian, Luisa Ranieri, Jordi Mollà, Ennio Fantastichini, and Antonio Banderas star in the film.

    “Wonder”
    Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, and Julia Roberts star in this heartwarming family film — based on the book by R.J. Palacio — out on digital January 30, then Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray, and DVD on February 13. The movie follows young Auggie, who had multiple surgeries on his face, and must handle the challenge of how his peers and community react to his condition. Extras include the five-part documentary “Summer of Fun,” a music video “Brand New Eyes,” audio commentary, and several featurettes.

    “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”
    Denzel Washington just picked up another Oscar nomination for his lead role in this legal drama, which arrives on Digital HD January 30, then on Blu-ray and DVD on February 13. Washington plays the title character, a driven, idealistic defense attorney who finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action. Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Amanda Warren, and Sam Gilroy co-star. The movie comes with three behind-the-scenes featurettes and eight deleted scenes.

    New on HBO Now
    Netflix doesn’t get to have all the fun. HBO is also adding a bunch of new titles as of February 1, for streaming on HBO Now (and HBO On Demand):

    • Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights, 2002
    • AVP: Alien vs. Predator (Extended Version), 2004
    • Alien (Director’s Cut), 1979
    • Alien 3 (Extended Version), 1992
    • Alien Resurrection (Extended Version), 1997
    • Aliens (Extended Version), 1986
    • Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (Unrated Version), 2003
    • Diner, 1982
    • E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, 1982
    • Freaky Friday, 2003
    • Glory Road, 2006
    • The Hand That Rocks the Cradle, 1992
    • Johnson Family Vacation, 2004
    • Man on the Moon, 1999
    • National Security, 2003
    • Predator, 198
    • Predator 2, 1990
    • Romeo and Juliet, 2013
    • Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, 2010
    • West Side Story, 1961

    New on DVD and Blu-ray

    “Professor Marston & the Wonder Women”Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, and Bella Heathcote star in this historical drama available on DVD and Blu-ray Tuesday, January 30. Based on a true story set in the 1940s, the film — directed by Angela Robinson — follows a Harvard professor and psychologist who was inspired by his wife and mistress to create the iconic comic book character Wonder Woman. Bonus features include the featurettes “A Dynamic Trio: Birth of a Feminist Icon,” and “A Crucial Point of View: Directing – Professor Marston and the Wonder Women.”

    “God’s Own Country”
    This highly acclaimed, multi-award winning feature — which recently won the Best British Independent Film Award — is available on DVD starting January 30. It’s a contemporary tale of self-discovery and emotional-awakening set on the sheep farming hills of rural England. “Johnny Saxby (Josh O’Connor) works long hours on his family’s remote farm in the north of England. He numbs the daily frustration of his lonely existence with nightly binge-drinking at the local pub and casual sex. But when a handsome Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu) arrives to take up temporary work on the family farm, Johnny suddenly finds himself having to deal with emotions he has never felt before. As they begin working closely together during lambing season, an intense relationship starts to form which could change Johnny’s life forever.”

    • Redbox: New titles coming to the big red box on Tuesday, Jan. 30 include “Geostorm,” “Tyler Perry’s Boo 2! A Madea Halloween,” “Last Flag Flying,” “Trafficked,” “Alien: Domicile,” “Beyond Skyline,” and “The Age of Adeline.”

    TV Worth Watching

    “This Is Us” (Sunday on NBC at 10:30 p.m.)THIS IS US -- Episode 214 -- Pictured: (l-r) Chrissy Metz as Kate, Chris Sullivan as Toby -- (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)This Sunday, Feb. 4 is Super Bowl LII. If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t care about the Super Bowl, you may still care about what’s airing around it. “This Is Us” got the cushy post-Super Bowl spot, starting at 10:30 p.m. or whenever the dang thing ends. It’s going to be *THE* episode — the one showing how Jack Pearson dies, and why Kate blames herself. Since it’s airing on Super Bowl Sunday, the modern storyline will also focus on the big game, and how The Big Three honor their father on the anniversary of the day he died.

    Kitten Bowl V (Sunday on Hallmark Hannel at noon)
    Puppy Bowl XIV (Sunday on Animal Planet at 3 p.m. ET)
    No Super Bowl Sunday is complete without cute kittens and puppies! First up is Kitten Bowl on Hallmark: “Displaced kittens rescued from the country’s most recent natural disasters vie for the National Championship of Feline Football trophy and a loving, forever home in which to display it.” After that, Animal Planet has a ton of pre-show stuff for Puppy Bowl even before the game begins: “The cutest, fuzziest, fluffiest event of the year has finally arrived as Animal Planet’s Puppy Bowl returns for its fourteenth season; more puppies, more rescues, and a brand-new bone-shaped stadium.”

    “The Trade” (Friday on Showtime at 9 p.m.)
    Showtime is premiering this five-episode docuseries on Friday, Feb. 2. “From Columbus, Ohio to Guerrero, Mexico and countless cities in between, the opioid epidemic has ravaged communities on both sides of the border. But what about the lives behind the headlines and statistics? This timely, provocative docuseries spotlights the crisis through the eyes of those most affected: the growers, addicts, cartel bosses and law enforcement hopelessly caught in its web.”

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  • Exclusive: See Stunning New Disney Prints Debuting at D23 Expo

    One of the biggest pleasures of attending the D23 Expo, the once-every-two-year Disney-only convention in Anaheim, California, is, of course, all of the exclusive merchandise available there (and only there). And some of the best merchandise in the entire convention comes from Cyclops Print Works, who for the past few years have been putting out high quality, extremely cool art prints based on some of your favorite Disney properties. So we feel very lucky to be debuting two of those D23-bound prints right here, right now.

    The first print is a stunning portrait of Rapunzel from recent favorite “Tangled.” Look at those colors! And that pose! Everything about this is just magical. Specs below.

    Cyclops Print Works Print #L02: Rapunzel by Pernille Ørum

    Size: 12″x12″

    Technique: Letterpress | 5 Colors

    Edition Size: Limited Edition of 185

    Features: Hand-Numbered |Hand-Deckled Edges | Authenticity Seal

    Paper: Pearl Letra

    Printed by: Papermum Press

    Officially Licensed by Disney

    The second print dedicated to one of the most beloved Disney videogames ever, “Kingdom Hearts.” (If you’ve never played it, it involves classic Disney characters and “Final Fantasy”-like RPG adventuring.) This is very iconic artwork that will be instantly recognizable to fans of the series (the third game is imminent). Specs below.

    Cyclops Print Works Print #GPC00: Kingdom Hearts II by Tetsuya Nomura

    Size: 13″x19″

    Technique: Digital

    Edition Size: Open Edition

    Paper: Pearlescent

    Printed by: SG360

    Officially Licensed by Disney

    These two prints join a whole host of new prints coming to D23 Expo, including a new print by JC Richard based on Pixar’s short film “Piper,” a stunning variant for Tom Whalen’s recent “Cars 3” print, a movie poster for one of Riley’s nightmares from “Inside Out” (yes please), and D23 exclusive variants from the recent Cyclops/Mondo show in Austin. In other words: if you attend D23 Expo this weekend and you don’t stop by the Cyclops booth (in Hall B), well, you’re doing it wrong.

  • Box Office: ‘Transformers’ Crashes With Franchise’s Lowest Opening Ever

    By Seth Kelley

    LOS ANGELES, June 25 (Variety.com) — It seems the “Transformers” franchise is rusty.

    As of Sunday morning “Transformers: The Last Knight,” the fifth installment directed by Michael Bay, looks to bring in $69.1 million from 4,069 domestic locations during its five-day opening weekend. That’s a franchise low for the sequel from Paramount and Hasbro, behind the first in the modern series, which earned $70.5 million in 2007. “The Last Knight” carries an estimated $217 million production budget.

    This makes “Transformers: The Last Knight” the latest summer blockbuster to bank on overseas ticket sales to have a shot at turning a profit. In China, the big-budget action sequel made $41 million in its opening day alone. The projected international cume through Sunday is $196.2 million, powered by $123.4 million in China.

    “The Last Knight” comes at a time when Paramount could have used an all-around hit, following recent misses “Baywatch” and “Ghost in the Shell.” While the latest “Transformers” movie has been advertised as “the final chapter” and Bay’s last go-around, the franchise will continue — Paramount has at least two more movies slated, including a spinoff that could star Hailee Steinfeld. The franchise has historically been massively profitable and seen solid multiples for the studio. Together, the first four earned over $1.3 billion domestically and well over $3.5 billion worldwide.

    The latest take on the series centers on an alliance between Bumblebee, Cade Yeager — who Mark Wahlberg also played in 2014’s “Age of Extinction” — and roles played by franchise newcomers Anthony Hopkins and Laura Haddock. Together, the team works together to save the world. Audiences have earned the film a B+ CinemaScore, while critics have mostly dismissed it — it currently holds a 15% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

    “The Last Knight” was uncontested at the box office this weekend, but a few indie releases showed traction. Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled” remake from Focus Features played at four theaters this weekend, and should gross $240,545 with a strong per screen average before it expands to over 500 locations next weekend.

    “We’re thrilled by this opening,” said Lisa Bunnell, Focus Features’ distribution president. “This is Focus’ third collaboration with Sofia and she’s created an entertaining, atmospheric thriller featuring strong female representation in front of and behind the camera.”

    And Kumail Nanjiani’s critically adored romantic comedy “The Big Sick” should earn $435,000 during its opening weekend in five locations — that would give the Lionsgate and Amazon Studios release the highest per screen average of any film that has opened this year so far.

    “Kumail and Emily’s true story provided audiences of all ages a much-needed alternative to the summer blockbusters,” said Bob Berney, Amazon Studios’ distribution chief.

    Otherwise, “Wonder Woman” continues to post impressive numbers, and holds onto second place during its fourth weekend in theaters. This weekend, it should earn an additional $25.2 million, bringing its domestic total to $318.4 million. Earlier this week, the film became the highest-grossing live-action movie to be directed by a woman — a major distinction for Patty Jenkins.

    Disney and Pixar’s “Cars 3” also looks to earn $25.2 million domestically during its second weekend. Some estimates have the film slightly lower, just below $25 million. The family film, which won last weekend’s box office, is expected to pass the $100 million mark in North America by Monday.

    “Transformers: The Last Knight’s” performance is a tough break for the summer box office’s bottom line domestically. For the past two years, this weekend has seen monster grosses for “Jurassic World” and “Finding Dory.” Now, attention is turned toward a trio of releases next weekend, as the box office hopes for a shot in the arm from “Despicable Me 3,” “Baby Driver,” and “The House.”

  • How ‘Cars 3’ and ‘All Eyez on Me’ Brought Audiences Back to the Movies

    Cars 3If you’ve been feeling ignored by Hollywood lately — if you haven’t found a movie at the theater that feels targeted toward you and your demographic — then this should have been the weekend for you.

    Sure, on the surface, this looked like a typical summer weekend, with one high-profile new release from one of the season’s usual heavy-hitters (in this case, Pixar, whose “Cars 3” premiered at No. 1 with an estimated $53.5 million) and a superhero holdover continuing to rake it in (that’d be “Wonder Woman,” which earned a healthy estimated $40.7 million in its third weekend).

    But what you were really seeing, if you looked beyond the top two movies, was a weekend where underserved audiences finally had a reason to go to the theater. That explains the over-performances of “All Eyez on Me,” the Tupac Shakur biopic that surprised in third place with an estimated $27.1 million, and “47 Meters Down,” a low-budget shark-attack thriller from a newbie distributor which managed to debut in fifth place with a better-than-expected estimated of $11.5 million. It may even explain the failure of Scarlett Johansson‘s all-female ensemble comedy “Rough Night,” which underwhelmed in its seventh-place debut with just an estimated $8.0 million opening.

    Here’s who made a rare visit to the popcorn counter this weekend, and here’s what they saw.

    Young Children
    You wouldn’t think of them as an underserved demographic, but really, there’s been nothing for them all summer; even the decidedly juvenile cartoon “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie” has a PG-rated sense of humor that plays to older preteens and even adults. But “Cars 3” is G-rated, playing to an audience that was 75 percent families and 35 percent kids 12 and under.

    If anything, critics have grumbled that “Cars 3” may be too kid-oriented. The “Cars” franchise is the Pixar series that has the least to offer adults and is the most geared toward selling toys (more than $10 billion in merchandise over the past decade). As a possible sign that the “Cars” franchise is running out of gas creatively, “Cars 3” has the lowest opening among the trilogy and, adjusted for inflation, among all Pixar movies except “The Good Dinosaur.”

    None of this matters to the young target audience, who gave the movie an A grade at CinemaScore. Meanwhile, Disney should consider itself fortunate that it released the movie in mid-June; a couple weeks later, and “Cars 3” would have been run over by “Despicable Me 3.”

    Women
    True, it’s not just girls and women who are responsible for the remarkable run so far of “Wonder Woman,” but it’s clear that the movie speaks to them in ways that few other recent films have. So it’s no surprise that the DC heroine’s saga has held up better than most superhero movies. Instead of the steep drops we usually see in comic-book films after the first weekend, “Wonder Woman” dipped just 43 percent last weekend and just 30 percent this weekend. Having lassoed nearly $275 million in 17 days, “Wonder Woman” is poised to overtake “Man of Steel” ($291 million) and possibly “Suicide Squad” ($325 million) and “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” ($330 million) as the top domestic earner in the DC Extended Universe so far.

    Women were also the power behind the sleeper success of “47 Meters Down.” No one expected much from the sisters-vs.-sharks tale, from new independent distributor Entertainment Studios. Neither critics nor customers thought much of the film. But women do make up the core of the horror audience, they did help make a hit of the similar “This Is Us.” Scary trailers and posters helped overcome weak reviews and word-of-mouth, but the movie’s strongest selling point may have been the months-long absence from the multiplex of other horror movies with strong appeal to genre’s female fanbase.

    Indeed, for once, this weekend may have seen women over-served at the multiplex. Which could explain why “Rough Night,” which had been widely expected to crack the top 5 and $20 million, did neither. The bachelorette-night-gone-horribly-wrong comedy had a lot of other problems — neither critics nor audiences liked the premise; Johansson isn’t much of a box office draw outside her Marvel movies; and raunchy R-rated comedies haven’t done well lately. Still, reviews, word-of-mouth, and modest star power didn’t hinder “47 Meters Down.” More likely, “Rough Night”‘s biggest problem was timing; as its target audience was all buying tickets for “Wonder Woman, “47 Meters Down,” and even “Cars 3.” Yep, the usually testosterone-heavy series has a girl-power message this time, one that may have helped drive women and girls toward making up 49 percent of the movie’s audience.

    African-Americans
    All Eyez on MeEarly tracking suggested “All Eyez on Me” would earn just $15 to $22 million. After all, the movie had a troubled production history, it had no star power, and it got slammed by both critics and Jada Pinkett Smith, who was a lifelong friend of Tupac’s. Nonetheless, audiences loved the movie, judging by its A- grade at CinemaScore. It’s not going to be the kind of smash that the similar “Straight Outta Compton” was two years ago, but as a smaller sleeper hit, it still seems to be surprising the experts the same way.

    But it’s also notable that there hasn’t been a movie this clearly targeted toward African-Americans since “Get Out” four months ago,” or “Hidden Figures” a few weeks before that. And it’s also notable that, like those films, “Eyez” clearly crossed over beyond that target demographic to attract general audiences, as is apparent from the movie’s success in pre-opening sales at Fandango. After all, Tupac was immensely popular among listeners and movie audiences of all colors, so it shouldn’t have been a shock that his biopic would be as well.

    Americans
    Given what an afterthought the domestic market has seemed to be all year, with movies like “The Mummy” and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” becoming blockbusters overseas while stumbling at home, it’s refreshing to see a weekend of movies that, if not clearly aimed at the home crowd, at least took American viewers into account. “Cars 3” returns the franchise to an American setting. “Eyez” got made despite Hollywood conventional wisdom that African-American-cast movies don’t do well abroad. Despite its metric-system title, “47 Meters Down” is still about American tourists. And even “Rough Night” is the sort of comedy that’s said to translate poorly to foreign audiences.

    No wonder this weekend’s total domestic box office was up 30 percent from last week, making this the sixth biggest weekend of the year to date. (Maybe the fourth-biggest, once final numbers come in on Monday; it’s just a hair behind the weekends marked by the debuts of “Logan” and “The LEGO Batman Movie.”) It’s weird to think of Americans as a whole being an underserved demographic, but that’s how it’s been. As a corrective, this weekend’s films may not have been your idea of cheeseburgers and apple pie, but they were to a lot of American moviegoers who might otherwise have stayed home.

  • Box Office: ‘Cars 3’ Races Past ‘Wonder Woman’ to No. 1

    Cars 3 box officeBy Seth Kelley

    LOS ANGELES, June 18 (Variety.com) – This weekend featured a heated race between four new films that opened in wide release. As of Sunday morning, it appears some have fared better than others.

    The big winner is Disney and Pixar’s “Cars 3,” which is speeding to $53.5 million from 4,256 locations, putting it in first place. That’s a lower opening than “Cars” ($60.1 million) and “Cars 2” ($66.1 million), but still enough to win the weekend. The first two “Cars” movies combined have made more than $435 million in the U.S. and $1 billion globally. The “Cars” films are far from Disney and Pixar’s highest earners, but “Cars 3” is another example that even a decent opening for the duo is a victory in the big picture.

    The movie comes from director Brian Fee, who was a storyboard artist on the first two “Cars” films, as well as “Ratatouille” and “Wall-E.” The ensemble voice cast of “Cars 3” includes Owen Wilson, Cristela Alonzo, Armie Hammer, Larry the Cable Guy, Bonnie Hunt, Nathan Fillion, Kerry Washington, and Lea DeLaria.

    “Cars 3” bumps “Wonder Woman” out of first place, but the super hero movie continues to show strong. With an estimated $40.7 million from 4,018 locations, the Warner Bros. and DC Comics film is seeing another extremely low drop of 32% from last weekend.

    Otherwise, Tupac biopic “All Eyez on Me” from Lionsgate and Summit is beating out expectations with an estimated $27.1 million from 2,471 locations. Demetrius Shipp Jr. plays the mythologized rapper. Benny Bloom — who has two feature films and a long list of music videos on his resume — directed the film that explores Shakur’s origins, rise, and imprisonment. The release date aligns with what would have been Shakur’s 46th birthday.

    “47 Meters Down” is opening to $11.5 million from 2,270 locations. It’s the first major release from Entertainment Studios, which acquired the project from its original distributor, Dimension Films. Mandy Moore and Claire Holt star as sisters who decide to go cage diving, and end up at risk of being attacked by sharks.

    Finally, “Rough Night,” a raunchy, fem-centric R-rated comedy from Sony, is on track to earn only $8.1 million from 3,162 locations. The project combines the talents of director and co-writer Lucia Aniello, co-writer and actor Paul W. Downs, and star Ilana Glazer — the three are frequent collaborators on Comedy Central’s “Broad City” and “Time Traveling Bong.” Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Zoe Kravitz, and Glazer make up a rowdy girl gang who reunite for a bachelorette weekend that goes horribly wrong.

    “It is genuinely a funny movie that was made at the right price, and there is a place for ‘Rough Night’ as summer counter-programming in the coming weeks,” said Sony’s distribution chief Adrian Smith.

    “Rough Night” will land in seventh for the weekend behind its fellow newcomers, “Wonder Woman,” the second weekend of “The Mummy” ($13.9 million) and “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” ($8.5 million).

  • Owen Wilson’s Young Sons Are Not Impressed Dad’s in Cars 3

    It’s been 11 years since the original “Cars” revved up. Voice star Owen Wilson has enjoyed every twist and turn in the road that brought him to “Cars 3.”

    “It feels pretty cool,” he tells Made in Hollywood reporter Kylie Erica Mar. “It’s definitely something, when I was making the first one, that I had no idea that all these years later I would be attending a premiere with my two kids at Disneyland where there is all of a sudden a Cars land. So it’s been a cool journey.”

    Not that his young sons are impressed that dad is legendary racer Lightning McQueen.

    “I’m always telling them it’s me,” Wilson jokes. “I feel like they just sort of kind of: Uh-huh, oh, yeah, we know it’s you.”

    Six years after the release of “Cars 2,” the latest installment in the Pixar animated franchise has McQueen, pushed out of racing by a new generation of fast cars, hoping to make a comeback with the help of eager young technician Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo), who has her own plans for winning.

    “The story kind of changed and evolved over the couple of years that we were recording it,” says Wilson, “And so when I sat down to watch it for the first time … at the premiere I felt they made a good job of making it emotional and bringing it full circle from the first one.”

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  • ‘Cars 2’ Honest Trailer Burns ‘Pixar’s Worst Movie by a Long Shot’

    (L-R) Grem (voice by Joe Mantegna), Acer (voice by Peter Jacobson), Siddeley (voice by Jason Isaacs), Lightning McQueen (voice by Owen Wilson), Mater (voice by Larry the Cable Guy), Finn McMissile (voice by Michael Caine).“Cars 3” is coming out June 16, so Screen Junkies decided to do a joint Honest Trailer for “Cars” and “Cars 2,” naming the latter Pixar’s worst-ever movie for going “full Minions” with Mater.

    “From the studio who brought you ‘Ratatouille,’ ‘Wall E,’ and ‘Up,’ comes the movie that paid for all of them – toys! I mean, ‘Cars’!”

    They quickly realized they didn’t have many complaints about “Cars,” which is just an “above average kids movie,” so they moved on to “Cars 2”:

    “From the studio who brought you ‘Ratatouille,’ ‘Wall E,’ and ‘Up,’ comes a tedious cash grab dumpster fire that’s Pixar’s worst movie by a long shot – ‘Cars 2!’”

    Yikes. The trailer lists all the “firsts” “Cars 2” set for Pixar, like their first time stretching a thin comic relief character with their own movie, their first “rotten” on Rotten Tomatoes, and their first movie to not be nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar.

    The trailer also asks A LOT of deep-thought questions about the cars in this universe, including why there are no humans in these movies, and if there are no humans, why do the cars still have door handles?

    Watch the trailer:Picking a “worst” Pixar movie is like deciding which type of cookie you crave the least — it’s still a treat, and better than most of what’s out there. “Cars 3” is going to be awesome, we just know it, and it opens June 16.

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  • ‘Cars 3’ Director Brian Fee on Going From Story Artist to Filmmaker

    It’s no secret that Pixar bigwig John Lasseter loves cars, and it’s this love of cars that birthed the first “Cars” film (which he directed) and the sequel (which, after a period of development with another filmmaker, Lasseter ultimately took over and directed). So it’s really saying something that he was able to let go of his baby, handing the keys to “Cars 3” over to Brian Fee, a relatively unknown story artist within the much larger Pixar framework. Fee had been a part of the first two “Cars” films but this was something altogether different; he’d have to wrangle hundreds of artists and animators and take the franchise back to its roots after the sequel threatened to derail the series. That’s a lot for any filmmaker, much less a first-timer.

    But if that sounds like a stressful proposition, you wouldn’t be able to tell by talking with Fee. I got to sit down with the director at the Sonoma Raceway, a beautiful track in northern California (and a perfect backdrop to talk about all things cars) and he told me about his history with the franchise, the third act to Lightning McQueen’s story, and how Ron Howard’s “Rush” inspired the look of the film.Moviefone: Can you talk about your history with this franchise?

    Brian Fee: I started on “Cars” as a story assistant. And what that meant was that I helped the real story artists get their work done. Because we were all drawing on paper, so I helped them finish their drawings. They would draw the important stuff and I would do the background, which just had to be traced over from drawing to drawing. It was busy work, really. But it was to help them get their work done. The story supervisor at the time, the late Joe Ranft, I wanted to stay at the company and asked him, “How do I stay here?” And he said, “Make yourself indispensable.” It was the best advice I ever got. Because it was all about doing the very best you can and don’t show it to anybody until it’s the best it can be.

    I gave myself a very high bar and that helped me become an actual story artist. So, one day I got the big boy pants and they let me be a story artist. I learned on the job, learned from everybody I could, and worked on “Cars 2” with John Lasseter. By that time I was considered more of a veteran story artist. It’s weird to be the young green kid and wake up one day and realize that I’m a veteran now. But I think a lot of people have that experience. So I worked with John on “Cars 2” and then worked with him in development of “Cars 3.” I was working on ideas and things and that’s when I was called into John’s office, unexpectedly. That’s when John told me, not asked, that I was directing “Cars 3.” Ed Catmull was there and he was the one who said, “We realize we’re not asking you. We know that.”

    What was your reaction?

    I was extremely honored they considered me for this; it was an honor they thought I was ready for this. And I was so excited because these characters were like family to me and I was excited to tell their story. At the same time I was terrified because I hadn’t directed anything before and I had a lot to learn in a very short amount of time.

    What was the biggest surprise when making the movie?

    I wouldn’t say there was a surprise, but the hardest thing was the story. I came from story but that is still the hardest thing. Everything else was less difficult because I can trust everyone. Everyone is an expert. I’m dealing with the best people in the business. So it’s my job to inspire them to do great work and once they do that work I judge it against one thing: Is this helping us tell our story and is it not helping us tell our story? And if it’s helping us tell our story, great! If it’s not helping us tell our story yet why is that? What can we do? And try again.

    I know the studio is now mimicking real lenses in the computer when it comes to photography. What was your approach to the visuals and what lenses did you use?

    Having never done anything in live-action, I didn’t know the first thing about lenses, so, luckily, my DP knew everything about lenses. So all I had to do was describe the look. So he could take care of all the technical stuff. We could just get in there and play with the look. And he [DP Jeremy Lasky] brings a lot to the table. A lot of the scenes are incredible because of his fantastic work. We talked early on about not wanting any of the races to feel overly conservative. And by that I mean any of the angles. It’s just like, let’s find the right times to push these angles on the characters to emphasize the grittiness of a real race. It’s a very extreme thing — the speeds and everything that happens down there. I wanted to take what was already done and push it a little bit more.

    Were you referencing anything, either live-action or animation, when it came to the racing?

    We looked at a lot of stuff. I really liked that movie “Rush” and how they shot that. So there was some really great racing things in there. But we had to be really careful because our cars are characters. So anytime you go below the nose, because you think low angles are really dramatic, but once it goes below the nose you lose the eyes. So there were some limitations and tradeoffs. It became: Is this shot about them being a car or a character? So it was always a balancing act.

    You’ve talked about how this is the third act of Lightning McQueen’s story. How would you chart his adventure?

    In “Cars,” he was the latest greatest; he was the new kid on the scene. He was the hotshot rookie. In “Cars 2,” he’s maintaining. In “Cars 2,” you can easily say you have a little bit of an older McQueen and he’s at the top of his game and at the top of his celebrity. So how do you have that character fall from grace? And age is the most obvious thing. We talked to Jeff Gordon and he said that, when he was young, he would go really hard but you would wear out your car. And the older he got, the more experience he got and he realized he didn’t have to wear out his car. And the young guys would pass him. He’d say, “He might have passed me but he’s wearing out his tires and using all of his gas. In 10 laps, I’ll pass him.” And 10 laps later, he’d pass them.

    So the problem was, when those young people passed him and 10 laps later he didn’t pass them, that’s when he realized he’d lost some of the charge he had. That happens with every athlete. We started looking at — you can’t do everything forever. But if that’s all you know and that’s your self-worth, how do you deal with the fact that you’ll never be what you once were?

    These movies obviously go through a thousand iterations. What was the story on the very first version of this movie?

    Very first version? There were hints of a mentorship between Lightning and Doc. There was a Cruz character. It was a boy, not a girl. It took place in California, not the south. And Cruz was a farmer. Think Route 99. There was a scene where the sign got tipped upside down. That was the beginning. McQueen was going through more of a midlife crisis. There was a mistaken identity and McQueen didn’t look like himself. But that was bizarre territory and we quickly moved away from that.

    Obviously, John Lasseter is going to have to retire at some point, just like McQueen. Did he contribute anything story-wise?

    He contributed a lot, story-wise. For him, on a personal level, I think the mentorship sank in more. Later in the process, his son won a student Academy Award. And John felt the pride of watching his son receive the award. The pride matched or even surpassed his own experiences of receiving awards. That had a profound effect on him. And I’ve looked at John as a mentor from day one, even as a story assistant, I was watching how John did it. Because he’s a master at it.

    “Cars 3” opens June 16th.

  • How ‘Cars 3′ Will Reclaim the Series’ Legacy

    In terms of Pixar films, the first “Cars” ranks up there alongside “A Bug’s Life” as one of the studio’s most underrated films. And since that film was released in 2006, it’s become one of the most popular brands for Disney, generating millions of dollars in merchandise sales and inspiring a line of short films, spin-offs, and a sprawling, technologically mind-bending land at the Disney California Adventure park in Anaheim. At this point it’s hard to remember when “Cars” was a movie and not a franchise (lord knows the disconnected 2011 sequel, with a plot that remains totally baffling, didn’t help anything), which is what makes “Cars 3” such an exciting proposition.

    A few weeks ago, I went up to Pixar and watched about half of the movie, all told, and was utterly charmed with what I saw. Based on what I saw, “Cars 3” is a true return-to-form for the series and does a lot to remind you just how special the original film was.At the beginning of “Cars 3,” Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is still top dog, but his age is starting to show. He is involved in a catastrophic crash (one that is teased in the first trailer) and is constantly being bested by Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer), a high-tech racecar with all the bells and whistles. When his sponsorship is taken over by a sick businessman named Sterling (Nathan Fillion), McQueen thinks that they’re going to put him back on the track. But instead, Sterling wants to position McQueen as a legacy sponsor of a host of products. Lightning strikes a deal with his new boss: Let him race one more time, and if he loses, he’ll retire and spend his golden years shilling products. (The fact that Lightning is essentially being reduced to a logo is pretty interesting and way more meta than you’d expect.) Sterling assigns a young trainer, Cruz (Cristela Alonzo), to help Lighting get ready for the race, and, together, they travel across the country seeking inspiration and advice.

    It’s pretty cute.

    And the connection to the first film is pretty awesome. If you saw “Cars 2,” you know that it refashioned the original’s slow-down-and-enjoy-the-simplicities-of-life narrative as a high-octane spy adventure. It was audacious, for sure, and remains one of the most beautiful-looking Pixar movies ever, but it lost the sweetness of the original and traded that film’s laid back, Miyazaki-indebted charm for something frenzied and frantic and somewhat overwhelming. Also, it made goofball tow truck Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) the central focus instead of Lightning. It was … bizarre.

    And if the footage I saw up at Pixar is any indication, the third film almost completely ignores the events of the second film. There’s no mention of the European and Asian races depicted in that film, none of the characters have returned, and Mater is barely in it. Seriously, the hillbilly tow truck probably said 10 words in the almost hour’s worth of footage I saw. And this film is primarily set in Radiator Springs, the Route 66 oasis introduced in the first film. (Sadly, the sunny epilogue of the first film, which saw tourists and visitors return to the sleepy hamlet, isn’t a part of “Cars 3.”) So, if you never saw “Cars 2,” don’t worry. It’s probably better (and less confusing) if you didn’t.As Lightning McQueen ambles through the American southwest, a part of the country that historically birthed NASCAR races (it started with bootleggers racing their souped-up getaway cars), he clashes with Cruz, who just wants to help, and ends up searching for the trainers that made his mentor, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman, via the help of audio outtakes from the first film), the dynamo he was. It’s all about going back to reclaim the fundamentals. And like the film’s jab at the abundance of merchandise spun off from these films, it’s a very knowing, winking look at the franchise. Instead of going above and beyond and introducing all sorts of spy movies shenanigans, it’s about peeling all of that stuff away and focusing on what made the original film so charming and engaging.

    Technologically and visually though, this is hardly a step back. The footage we saw was amazing-looking; there was a tactile quality to the images that made everything feel lived-in and real. It’s like they took the photo-realistic breakthroughs of “The Good Dinosaur” and applied it to something more outwardly cartoony. The result is the “Cars” world we know and love but given a heightened sense of detail and depth. Instead of the glistening metropolises of the previous film, “Cars 3” is all about naturalism. There’s also a sequence where Lightning and Cruz are racing along the beach that is just breathtaking. Another sequence has Lighting entering a demolition derby incognito, his trademark logo covered up with globs of mud. You never think about the technology while watching these scenes, about the physics engines whirring away to make sure everything looks just right, but you do know that it looks beautiful and the added layers of detail, atmosphere, and texture go a long way in firmly placing you in that world.

    And maybe that’s the biggest takeaway from the footage we saw — how good it feels to be back in the “Cars” world. That’s huge. The first film, as sweet as it is, isn’t seen as a high mark in the Pixar canon — and the sequel didn’t do it any favors. But “Cars 3” seems like a fine return to form and possibly even better than the original. The story seems like the perfect blend of the old and the new — both nostalgic and forward-thinking — and the animation style is the same, with returning characters updated with a fresh coat of computer-generated paint.

    Quite frankly, I can’t wait to see the rest of the movie and watch McQueen reclaim his former glory. It’s a great metaphor for the “Cars” franchise, really. See you in Radiator Springs.

    “Cars 3” opens on June 16th.

  • New ‘Cars 3’ Trailer Gives Lightning McQueen Last Chance at Racing Glory

    Are Lightning McQueen’s racing days over?

    It’s looking grim in the new trailer for “Cars 3.” As seen in previous trailers, Lightning (Owen Wilson) suffers a brutal crash in a race — and he’s already in the twilight of this career. He has to rely on trainer Cruz Ramirez (Cristela Alonzo) to whip him back into shape, but the world of racing has changed and it favors sleek, new cars with advanced technology like Jackson Storm (Armie Hammer).

    Can Lightning keep up? Can he tap into the passion that he had in the beginning of his career? Can he discover the joy of racing again?“Cars 3” feels more like a traditional, underdog sports movie (think “Rudy” or “Mighty Ducks” or “Karate Kid”). The story is the driver here, and there’s much less hokey humor than in the previous “Cars” films. That may be a good thing.

    “Cars 3” opens in theaters June 16.